Voting Rights

For almost fifty years voter participation in presidential elections has been less than 60%.

In early America, in most states, only adult white male property owners were allowed to vote. In the vast majority of states women could not vote; former slaves and non-whites could not vote; if you owned no property and rented or leased a home, you could not vote. The struggle for universal suffrage was long and hard. Many died and were imprisoned on a journey that spanned centuries.

Why is it that today almost half the country does not participate in the voting and election process when so many fought so hard and long for the right to vote?

The answer to that question is as varied as the individuals who choose not to participate. The best way to ensure that the young people in your life grow up to become active voters and citizens is to educate them about the voting and electoral process and share your own citizen commitment and enthusiasm.

Here you will find information to help you explain voting rights and the voting process to the young people in your life.

Who Gets to Vote?
Today all U.S. citizens who are at least eighteen years old and not incarcerated are guaranteed the right to vote. However, voting rights were initially a privilege given to a small, elite part of the population.